City ​​of Witches 743

Chapter 743 – #159_The Prodigal Son Returns

#743

1.
Right after the grand escape ended.
Siwoo, having entered Gehenna, simply lost his mind.

Even though his physical exhaustion was almost nonexistent, his mental exhaustion was extraordinary.

One of the common misconceptions is that there are no limits to mental labor.
However, the reality is that thinking and concentration, like physical strength, have their limits.

Just as it’s impossible for someone who struggles with ten pull-ups to do a hundred, even if threatened with death, a certain level of concentration cannot be overcome simply with willpower.

However, the self-magnetic magic ‘Staircase’ he received from Rinne forced it to be possible.
It urged him to overcome countless impossibilities and his own limits to grasp new magic.

As a reaction, his overworked brain demanded rest, and the relief of finally reaching a safe zone caused him to lose consciousness.

“Ugh….”

Siwoo, who had been taking a sweet rest in a comfortable bed, opened his eyes.

It was a familiar ceiling.
The ceiling of the Jemena Count’s residence, specifically the treatment room where he would lie down when injured.

The unique disinfectant smell of the clean sheets, mixed with the pleasant scents wafting in the air.

“Umnya….”
“Hmmmm….”

He felt a strange heaviness on his thighs, and when he lifted his head, he saw the twins snoring, using one of Siwoo’s legs as a cushion.
Odile and Odette were each stuck to Siwoo, their soft cheeks squished.

Who knew that seeing Odile and Odette’s faces could be so welcoming?
He smiled like a happy father at their angelic appearance, feeling the reality of their reunion, and then he belatedly realized that the space between his legs was heavier than usual.

“…Koo…. Koo….”

Lürie was the one with her head buried between Siwoo’s legs.
Judging by the position, she had somehow managed to secure the central spot between the twins.

“Siwoo, are you awake?”
“Amelia.”

The heaviness wasn’t just in his lower body.

When he turned his head to the side, Amelia, in her pajamas, was smiling brightly.
Her unguarded smile, revealing her dimples and neat teeth, was an expression she didn’t show to anyone else, one that only Siwoo could monopolize.

“Being next to Siwoo is the best for sleeping.”

Amelia closed her eyes and rubbed her cheek against the back of his hand like a well-behaved puppy as he gently tidied her slightly disheveled hair.
Not stopping there, she gave Siwoo small kisses on his cheek and forehead.

It was definitely a tremendously luxurious sleeping arrangement that any man would envy.

Even the remaining tension melted away.
It was then that he truly realized that he had finally escaped Hexennacht and returned to Gehenna after all sorts of grand adventures.

“I really am back….”
“Of course, I believed you would return safely.”
“How long was I asleep?”
“A full day.”
“Ah, now that I think about it….”

There were two people missing from the bed.

One was his teacher, and the other was Sharon.
Seeing Siwoo’s bewildered face, Amelia’s expression also darkened slightly for some reason.

That wasn’t the only thing that bothered him.
Unlike the two who might have their own circumstances, Siwoo had a major issue to confirm immediately.

To evade Hexennacht’s pursuit, both Rinne and Dorothy had taken refuge in Gehenna.

However, regardless of the circumstances, the two were enemies of the state.
The fact that they had entered Gehenna was a major issue, incomparable to the entry of exiles like Alice or Zlata.

He had to confirm it.
He jumped up, but he couldn’t leave right away.

“I’m….”

He always felt sorry at times like this.
After they had risked their lives to save him, he had to leave right away because he was worried about another woman.

Amelia said it was okay, but how could a person’s heart be so easily cut off?
Even though he had ended up with a harem, Siwoo couldn’t hide his inner feelings of guilt.

“Siwoo, it’s okay.”

Amelia seemed to understand his feelings, and she got out of bed and sat on the edge.
Then, she hugged Siwoo as if she were embracing something precious.

“I’m someone who has been helped by Siwoo’s kindness, too.”

Her attitude of simply understanding and embracing him.
Every time he saw Amelia like that, he was amazed.

“This might not be the best time to say this… but you’ve really changed a lot.”
“Manager, I don’t know what you’re talking about?”

Amelia playfully retorted to Siwoo, imitating her voice from her assistant professor days.
Thanks to that, he was able to leave more comfortably.

“I’m sorry. I’ll be right back.”
“It would be faster to talk to Count Albiereo. He should be in his office by now.”
“Yes, I’ll be back soon.”

Siwoo gave her a light kiss on the forehead and carefully got out of bed, making sure not to wake the triplets.
When he glanced back, he saw Amelia covering the triplets with a blanket and waving her hand.

“It’s a heartwarming and touching sight, but….”

Amelia had told him to go see Count Albiereo as if it were nothing, but…
To Siwoo, it sounded like, ‘It’s better to get the beating over with first.’

It hadn’t been long since he had brought Lürie back, and now he had brought Rinne and Dorothy.
He was even planning to ask for citizenship for Zlata, so he couldn’t even guess what kind of scolding he would receive.

Considering what happened during the last Lürie incident, he might end up with two broken shins and have to use crutches for a while.

“Haa….”

Perhaps because of that, even though he was walking down a magnificent hallway, he couldn’t shake off the chill as if he were walking through a haunted house.
As he walked past the rows of candle holders like a pilgrim, heading towards his great aunt’s office, his life flashed before his eyes.

Just as he was reluctantly moving his feet.
Conversations echoed through the hallway at a late hour.

“Sister…! …But! That’s too much…”
“…So, you…. Are you sane…!”

No.
It was closer to a fierce argument than a conversation.
It was so loud that it echoed into the hallway, piercing through the thick wooden door with its excellent soundproofing.

As he got closer to the door, he heard an even louder voice.

“Enough! What do you know, Sister! Do you still think I’m a snot-nosed apprentice witch?!”
“What are you so proud of, raising your voice! Are you saying I’m wrong?!”

The protagonists of the argument were the twin great aunts.
Siwoo swallowed hard.

The situation was more serious than he thought.
Did he catch the timing wrong?
Should he come back later?

“…….”

Yes, let’s come back later.
Statistically, he should show his face around the afternoon tea time when Count Albiereo was in the best mood.

It was such a fierce argument that even such a conflict arose, but unfortunately, his worries didn’t last long.

“Deneb! Don’t you stand there? I’m not done talking yet!”
“Fine! Go ahead and try! Try to stop me if you can!”

-Bang!

Deneb Jemena, who had almost kicked the door open, happened to run into him.

“Ah….”
“Ah, hello.”

He was startled.
It wasn’t just because of this awkward situation.

As far as Siwoo remembered, the younger great aunt was someone who cared about her posture even during the extreme moments when they were trapped together in the fish tank.
She was a refined countess who tried to maintain her dignity and posture without a single flaw.

Even if he could overlook the tears welling up in her eyes and her flushed neck from being unable to control her anger, her off-the-shoulder dress, which emphasized her round shoulders, was crumpled and wrinkled.

Siwoo knew from experience that silk dresses got like that when you rolled around in bed.
It was so severely wrinkled that it would take about a week of rolling around to get it to that state.

Also, her chignon style, which was always neatly arranged without a single stray hair, was now spiky like a sea urchin.
Unless Albiereo and Deneb had grabbed each other by the hair and fought, this was something that would only happen after a week of not styling her hair.

She wasn’t wearing her usual light makeup, and instead of perfume, she smelled strongly of alcohol.

“Deneb, how have you been?”

Deneb’s eyes trembled violently when she discovered Siwoo.
Deneb covered her face with both hands.

“I, I don’t know…. Siwoo, please forget it. Please forget what you just saw….”

It was as if she had been caught showing her bare face to her crush.
Deneb turned her back to Siwoo and shouted at Albiereo.

“It’s all because of you, Sister…!”
“Haa, you’re driving me crazy….”

In fact, the reason Albiereo and Deneb had fought was simple.

After Siwoo was kidnapped by Hexennacht, Deneb had stopped eating and drinking and had been weeping in her room.
Albiereo hadn’t immediately told Deneb that Siwoo had returned safely.

It wasn’t because she hated her younger sister.
She knew that once her son-in-law returned, the twins would be glued to his side.

Also, she was deeply concerned about what kind of chaos would ensue if she threw in Deneb, who was at the peak of her emotions.

The problem was that Deneb, in her drunken mode, had somehow learned of this fact and was strongly insisting on going to see Siwoo right away, demanding, ‘Why didn’t you tell me right away!’

Now that Albiereo knew about Deneb’s affection for Siwoo, she was very displeased with it.
Also, Deneb was unhappy that her sister, who had provided the excuse for Siwoo to be kidnapped, was shamelessly restricting her from meeting him.

As a result, the argument escalated.
They were having a mudslinging fight, saying things they should and shouldn’t have said.

Siwoo, who didn’t know the circumstances, could only blame his fate for coming to get beaten at the worst possible time.

“Albiereo, you’ve been well… right?”

Albiereo’s table was directly facing the office door, so there was no way to escape now.
Albiereo, who was breathing roughly like Deneb, gestured with a stiff expression.

“Close the door and come in.”
“Yes.”

He had never imagined that simply facing someone could be this terrifying.
Siwoo closed the door, leaving his last will in his heart.

-Bang!

A cold silence flowed behind the firmly closed office door.